Charles H. Waterhouse (September 22, 1924 – November 16, 2013) was an American

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

renowned for using

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

historical themes as the motif for his works. His art spans subjects from

Tun Tavern Tun Tavern was a tavern and brewery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was a founding or early meeting place for a number of notable groups. It is traditionally regarded as the site where what became the United States Marine Corps held its fi ...

, the birthplace of the U. S. Marines to present day topics. Throughout his career, he created over 500 pieces for the Marine Corps art collection.

Marine Corps League The Marine Corps League is the only congressionally chartered United States Marine Corps-related veterans organization in the United States. Its congressional charter was approved by the 75th U.S. Congress and signed by President Franklin D. Roo ...

. "USMC Museum Receives Col. Charles H. Waterhouse Art Collection", ''Semper Fi magazine'', vol. 68, no. 5, Sep/Oct 2012, pp. 18 and 20.

Life

Waterhouse enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 1943. He served with the

5th Marine Division The 5th Marine Division was a United States Marine Corps ground combat division which was activated on 11 November 1943 (officially activated on 21 January 1944) at Camp Pendleton, California during World War II. The 5th Division saw its first ...

during the Pacific campaign of World War II, landing with the first wave assault on

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

on February 19, 1945. During the battle, he was severely wounded as a result of enemy action, suffering permanent nerve damage to his left hand. He received the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

medal. After the war, Waterhouse formally studied art at the

Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art (NSFIA) was a city-run vocational and art school in Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 1882 as the Evening Drawing School, its name was changed in 1909 to the Fawcett School of Industrial Arts, and changed agai ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

where, under the guidance of

Steven R. Kidd Steven R. Kidd (1911, Chicago, Illinois – 1987), known to friends and students as Joe Kidd, was an American illustrator. He illustrated for various books and magazines and for many years was an illustrator for the New York ''Daily News''. He t ...

and W. T. Aylward, he was trained in the Brandywine tradition of romantic realism as practiced by

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

N.C. Wyeth Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), known as N. C. Wyeth, was an American painter and illustrator. He was the pupil of Howard Pyle and became one of America's most well-known illustrators. Wyeth created more than 3,000 ...

Harvey Dunn Harvey Thomas Dunn NA (March 8, 1884 – October 29, 1952) was an American painter and teacher. He is best known for his prairie-intimate masterpiece, ''The Prairie is My Garden'' (1950). In this painting, a mother and her two children ar ...

and others. Upon graduating in 1950"About the Artist"
, ''Welcome to the USMC Artist Web Site''. Retrieved on March 22, 2008. Waterhouse became a sought-after illustrator, with his work appearing in hundreds of books, magazines and publications. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, he served three tours in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

as a civilian combat artist. In 1971 Waterhouse received a commission as a major from the Marine Corps History Division to create 14 salon-size paintings depicting the Marines in the Revolution for the U.S. Bicentennial. The paintings were such a success the Marines awarded Waterhouse with the title "USMC

Artist in Residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

", thus becoming the first and only person to earn such recognition. At the same time, the Marines promoted him to colonel and he retired at that rank on February 19, 1991. Throughout his retirement, he continued to paint the history of the Corps. At the age of 81, Waterhouse set out to create a comprehensive series of paintings showing Marines and navy corpsmen in the acts for which they were recognized with the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

. At the time of his death he had completed 225 canvases and 107 portraits of USMC and USN corpsman recipients from the Civil War through Afghanistan. In 2012, Waterhouse donated the entire Medal of Honor series and additional paintings to the

National Museum of the Marine Corps The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. Located in Triangle, Virginia near MCB Quantico, the museum opened on November 10, 2006, and is now one of the top tourist attractions in the st ...

. Waterhouse's work can be seen in museums, federal buildings and historical sites around the country. His illustrated design of the USMC emblem, emblazoned on a t-shirt, was worn by an astronaut in space. Waterhouse was the author and illustrator of ''Vietnam Sketchbook'', ''Delta to the DMZ Sketchbook'' and ''Marines and Others,'' and the author of ''Illustrations in Black, White and Gray by Steven R. Kidd'' and T''he Blue Book Illustrations of Herbert Morton Stoops.'' During his lifetime, Colonel Waterhouse was honored with many awards, including the Legion of Merit.

Death

Waterhouse died on November 16, 2013, at the home of his daughter in Tom's River, New Jersey. He was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

along with his wife Barbara Andersen Waterhouse (August 26, 1927 – December 28, 2009) on February 19, 2014.

Notes

External links

Waterhouse Museum
(official website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterhouse, Charles 1924 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century male artists American illustrators United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II American war artists Battle of Iwo Jima People from Columbus, Georgia Recipients of the Legion of Merit 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century male artists American male sculptors Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Marine Corps colonels United States Marine Corps reservists American people of the Vietnam War

Life

Death

See also

Notes

External links